Just a friendly reminder with summer on it's way, there becomes an increased need for physical exams! We want to see everyone once a year but these well visits are especially important for kindergartners, summer camp attendees, college entrance, and fall sports participants among others. Please call to schedule as soon as possible as these appointments fill up rather quickly!

Warm weather is arriving, which means that tick season is starting. Lyme disease is spread by deer ticks, which are found in our area. Deer ticks live in grassy, wooded, brushy areas and can be very small (see picture below). Ticks typically must be attached for 36 hours or longer to spread lyme disease; promptly removing ticks can prevent linfection. Lyme disease can affect your skin, heart, nerves, and joints. Lyme disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics. However, not all tick bites require antibiotics. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Disease Society of America, and the Centers for Disease Control issue guidelines as to when treat tick bites that we follow closely so that children are not exposed to unnecessary antibiotics.

After a tick has been attached and removed, a person often experiences redness where the tick was attached. This is from the tick's saliva while it was attached and is a normal reaction. It can be compared to when a person gets bitten by a deer fly and has a large red area where the fly bite occurred.

Read below for tips, from the Vermont Department of Health, that can help you deal ticks:

While outdoors

As much as possible, avoid high grass and bushy areas; stay on hiking trails.

Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts to minimize skin exposure to ticks.

Tuck your pants into your socks to form a barrier to tick attachment.

Wear light-colored clothing to help see ticks on your clothing.

Check for ticks, looking particularly for what may look like nothing more than a new freckle or speck of dirt, and remove ticks promptly (see below).

Use an effective tick repellent on your skin or on your clothing. There are several repellents that are effective against ticks. Repellents should not be used on infants under 2 months of age. Read the label carefully and use according to the recommendations.

Permethrin is an insecticide that can be applied to clothing or gear. If you spend a lot of time in tick habitat, wearing permethrin-treated clothing can be very effective at reducing your exposure to ticks.

Take extra precautions in May, June, and July as this is when most tick bites can occur.

After you come inside

Check your or your child’s body for ticks, and remove them promptly. Pay special attention to the head, armpits, and groin area.

Showering within a few hours of being outside may also be helpful.

The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites.

It is okay if the tick's head is not removed. Lyme disease is contained in the tick's stomach. As long as the body is removed from the head, lyme disease cannot be transmitted. If the head is not removed, a person's body will expel the head in a few days.

We also have Tick Twisters, a safe and easy tick removal tool, available for sale at the office. Please ask any member of the Rainbow team about purchasing one if you are interested.

Image credits: Vermont Department of Health

We use a pediatric after-hours triage service. This service is called Nurse Telephone Triage Service (NTTS) and uses experienced registered nurses to answer after-hours and weekend calls. To access this service, call our office number, 802-388-1338 and you will be transferred to the NTTS. They will provide timely clinical advice and treatment plans based on a patient's symptoms. A record of all calls is sent to Rainbow Pediatrics so that our providers can follow up with patients. This service is utilized by pediatric offices across the country. Please know that if you wish to speak directly with the on call provider, you may do so by requesting this when you speak with a nurse from NTTS. We partner with Middlebury Pediatrics to provide 24/7 call coverage. Both of our practices use this after hours triage service. Acute visits are available on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Please call at 8:00 and the receptionist will schedule your child and let you know which office is providing care. If you have any questions or concerns, your feedback is valued and appreciated.

Have you signed up for our Patient Portal? You will be able to communicate securely with our office anytime that is convenient for you. Through the Portal, you can request non-urgent appointments, medication refills, have access to medical information, message nurses and providers, and much more! Please click on the "contact" tab on this website, and request (through email, phone, or fax) that we invite you to join our Patient Portal. A representative from our office will contact you within 2 business days.

Measles can be a severe, debilitating, and even deadly illness for children. It is also highly contagious. At Rainbow Pediatrics, we care for many patients, who, because of prematurity, immune system problems, or the inability to be vaccinated due to young age, are at high risk for severe consequences of the measles infection. These patients often have frequent visits at Rainbow Pediatrics, potentially increasing their risk of exposure.

In order to protect all of our patients, including the most vulnerable, the physicians at Rainbow Pediatrics have determined that we must require vaccination against the measles virus. To join our practice, and to remain in our practice if you already belong, children must recieve the MMR vaccine unless it is medically contraindicated, or a religious exempton, in which case, we would require a letter from you church.

The MMR vaccine is extremely effective and well-tolerated, and we are confident in the safety of this vaccine for your child. However, we understand if you have concerns or questions regarding this new requirement, and we welcome you to call or schedule an appointment if you would like to discuss it further.

We thank you for your understanding and willingness to help protect both your child, and the most vulnerable members of our practice from this dangerous illness.

Rainbow Pediatrics wants to help you make safe decisions when it coms to your little ones and older children alike. We often treat infected ear lobes on patients who get their ears pierced elsewhere. That's why we are now offering Medical Ear Piercing - a sterile procedure that minimizes risk of infection. This method of piercing ears uses only titanium and medical plastic to avoid nickel allergy or irritation. Does your child want their ears pierced? Who more would you trust to pierce their ears than your pediatrician! Call us today for more information or to make an appointment - 388-1338.

Please be sure to check out the Child & Adolescent Health Library tab on the bottom right hand side of the webpage. This page contains a wealth of information regarding common complaints and health and wellness issues.